1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for scooping ice cream from a bulk ice cream container. More particularly the invention concerns an improved ice cream scoop for use in the home or in ice cream parlors of the character having a spring biased ejection piston carried within the hollow scoop portion of the device for ejecting ice cream into a dish or onto an ice cream cone.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Typically ice cream is served in ice cream parlors in dishes, cups or on cake cones. The ice cream is generally removed from bulk containers such as five gallon cardboard containers which are stored in top opening refrigerated cases. The ice cream is scooped from the containers by means of some type of an ice cream scooping device. Most such devices have a generally hemispherically shaped hollow scoop portion connected to an elongated handle. Frequently, the scooping devices used in large volume ice cream dispensing retail outlets also include a spring biased piston-like mechanism which assists in ejecting the ice cream from the scoop onto a cone or into a cup.
As a general rule, when an the ejection mechanism is used in the prior art devices it comprises a flat spring member having one end permanently connected to the handle of the device by means of a fastener such as a rivet or bolt and the other end connected to the top of a piston-like body which is telescopically movable within a central aperture formed in the top wall of the scoop. The flat spring member also typically includes an angularly upwardly extending central portion which biases the piston into an upward position wherein a circumferentially extending flange formed around the bottom of the piston engages the inner surface of the scoop. By pressing down on the central portion of the spring member, the piston is urged downwardly against the resistance of the spring to eject the ice cream. Upon removing the downward pressure on the flat spring member, the piston will move upwardly within the aperture to an at rest position which does not interfere with the internal contour of the scoop.
One of the major drawbacks of the prior art scooping devices of the character described in the preceding paragraph resides in the fact that while the handle and scoop are virtually indestructable, the spring member of the device fails frequently due to corrosion and metal fatigue. Because the spring member is rigidly connected at one end to the handle usually by a nonremovable fastener, when the spring breaks, the entire device must be discarded and a new device purchased. Even if the fastener takes the form of a metal screw, its removal is frequently impossible due to the continued exposure of the device to water which severely corrodes the screw. In the case of large volume retail dispensing of ice cream, the cost of continually discarding the mechanized scoops can become substantial.
The aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art devices is uniquely overcome by the device of the present invention wherein the spring member is removably secured in a position within a channel formed in the handle without the use of fasteners of any kind. Accordingly, when the spring member fails, the broken end thereof can be readily removed from the handle and a new spring assemblage installed without the use of tools or fasteners of any kind. By replacing the relatively inexpensive spring mechanism, the basic tool can be continued to be used virtually forever.